Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Beginning Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, the HART Operations Facility located at 4305 E. 21st Avenue in Tampa, will be closed to the general public (visitors, vendors and patrons) until further notice. A major renovation of the Operations facility is underway and is expected to be completed in mid-2012. Official HART business will now be conducted at the HART Administrative Office located at 1201 E. 7th Ave. in Ybor City.

Patrons seeking to claim their lost bike must now make an appointment with HART safety staff. To make an appointment, please call (813) 623-5835, during regular business hours only (Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Lost bikes will no longer be housed in the lost and found area of the 21st Ave. Operations Facility.

Interested in updates? We’ll keep you posted on the status of HART Operations facility renovation as it transforms into a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. LEED is an internationally-recognized green building certification system.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Welcome back, students! Another summer is in the books and another school year is here. If you're planning on using HART this school year, below is a quick reference guide on connecting to HART and special fares from your school.

What is HART?

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) is the public transportation service provider for Hillsborough County. HART serves Hillsborough County's employees, residents and visitors with 32 Local Routes, 13 Express Routes, and 5 Flex services. HART also operates the 2.7 mile TECO Line Streetcar System, serving the restaurants, attractions and other entertainment venues of Ybor City, the Channel District and downtown Tampa.

Schools participating in the HART Adult Student Fare program sell HART fare cards to its students for a 25% discount. Students can purchase a 31-Day Local Adult Student Fare Card for only $45 (normally $60) at their respective schools by showing their valid student ID. Please note, the adult student discount is not applicable if the pass is purchased at traditional HART sales outlets.

Luckily, HART has you covered with multiple routes connecting to over 20+ colleges in Hillsborough County. Below, you'll find a listing of some of the schools that HART serves with bus, van and in some cases, streetcar service.

University of South Florida (USF):The following HART routes serve the USF area:

Route 1 - Florida Ave.

Route 2 - Nebraska Ave.

Route 5 - 40th St.

Route 6 - 56th St.

Route 9 - 15th St.

Route 12 - 22nd St.

Route 18 - 30th St.

Route 33 - Fletcher Ave.

Route 45 - U.A.T.C.

Route 57 - U.A.T.C.

Students ride FREE on HART local, limited express and Flex routes with valid student ID. Faculty and staff ride for just 25¢.

Your best bet is the HART Trip Planner. Simply type in your starting and end points, arrival time/date, hit "get directions," and let the planner do the rest. Bookmark the Trip Planner for easier access later. Can't get to our website, and need immediate assistance? Call the HARTinfo line at 813-254-4278, or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

Hopefully, you found this guide helpful, if there is anything else that you think we should include (like your school), let us know in the "comments" section. Have a great school year!

All day HART passes begin as low as $1.85 for children and $3.75 for adults. For more information on HART fares, click here.

Getting around downtown?

Getting around downtown is easier than ever with the In-Town Trolley. The In-Town Trolley is a rubber-wheeled "trolley-bus" made to replicate old-time streetcars/trams. The In-Town Trolley costs only 25¢, and covers most of the downtown Tampa attractions. The Purple Line runs during weekdays and the Green Line runs on weekends. Both lines operate on 15 minute frequencies.

The TECO Line Streetcar offers a unique opportunity to take a ride through Tampa's past, while also serving the majority of the attractions listed above.
Things to know about the TECO Line StreetcarThe 2.7 mile streetcar line runs every 20 minutes (exceptions apply) on rails that connect Ybor City, Channelside and Downtown Tampa. It operates 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday service begins at noon and runs until 8 p.m.

A "family pass" was recently introduced and costs only $12. The pass includes all day rides for up to 2 adults and 3 children, or 1 adult and 4 children! Please note that Streetcar Motormen do not provide change.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Want to see how far you can go from your location in a certain amount of time on HART? There's now an app for that!

HART released our General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), or scheduling data, about a month ago and we now have the first "app" created using the data.

Mapnificent.

Mapnificent is a free web-based application that utilizes HART scheduling data (times, stops, frequencies, etc.) to formulate and display the results over Google Maps. You can drag the pin around for different locations, use the slider for different maximum times, and go to settings to choose times and days of week. You can also drag the pin around to find the half way meeting point between friends living across town.

Mapnificent was created by a 23-year-old graduate student named Stefan Wehrmeyer, a graduate student in Germany. "I hope people use it to find the best place to live, work and meet, said Wehrmeyer on his blog. "That they discover new things about their public transport system."

If you would like a more in depth look of the functionality of Mapnificent, please watch the video below. Wehrmeyer gives a great tutorial on using Mapnificent to accomplish a number of tasks.

Reminder: HART does not endorse any 3rd party applications, including Mapnificent . However, we do support providing our patrons with options, and having our data open for public consumption and ingenuity.

If you are interested in developing a 3rd party application, please visit the HART Developer's page located here.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Ever wonder how HART maintains over 200+ fleet vehicles? Buses begin rolling out for service shortly before 4 a.m. and when the lights go down on the city, and the last bus rolls in around 1:30 a.m.,the overnight maintenance crew comes out.

Fifty employees clock in to help get the over 200 vehicles ready for service the next day. Cleaning begins around 7 p.m., while mechanics work on the fleet at all times of the day. The maintenance facility is alive almost 24/7, with only three hours of down time in between Saturday night and Sunday morning. We're out of breathe just thinking about it...

Click on the video below for a greater look at our overnight maintenance crew.

Friday, August 5, 2011

An international event is taking place this week on Tampa's waters, and you might not even be aware of it. The World Dragon Boat Racing Championships are taking place this weekend in Seedon Channel between Harbour Island and Davis Islands.

Twenty-six teams from around the world are competing in the event which is similar to the World Cup of Dragon Boat racing.

Dragon Boats are steeped in 2,000 years of history, which originate from China. Today, the decorative boats are reminders of the sport's history. The event is held every two years around the world and it's been 10 years since the event was last held in the U.S. (Philadelphia). The next Championships will be held in Tehran in 2013, but until then, the world of Dragon Boat racing belongs to Tampa. The best spots to catch the races are the Tampa Convention Center, Curtis Hixon Park, and Jackson's Bistro.

HART is making it easier to get downtown to see the races with these quick and easy options: